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Living on the road my friend,
Is gonna keep you free and clean
Now you wear your skin like iron,
Your breath as hard as kerosene.
You weren't your mama's only boy,
But her favorite one it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye,
And sank into your dreams.
Pancho was a bandit boy,
His horse was fast as polished steel
He wore his gun outside his pants
For all the honest world to feel.
Pancho met his match you know
On the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dying words,
Ah but that's the way it goes.
All the Federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him slip away
Out of kindness, I suppose.
Lefty, he can't sing the blues
All night long like he used to.
The dust that Pancho bit down south
Ended up in Lefty's mouth
The day they laid poor Pancho low,
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go,
There ain't nobody knows
The poets tell how Pancho fell,
And Lefty's living in cheap hotels
The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold,
And so the story ends we're told
Pancho needs your prayers it's true,
But save a few for Lefty too
He only did what he had to do,
And now he's growing old
Is gonna keep you free and clean
Now you wear your skin like iron,
Your breath as hard as kerosene.
You weren't your mama's only boy,
But her favorite one it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye,
And sank into your dreams.
Pancho was a bandit boy,
His horse was fast as polished steel
He wore his gun outside his pants
For all the honest world to feel.
Pancho met his match you know
On the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dying words,
Ah but that's the way it goes.
All the Federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him slip away
Out of kindness, I suppose.
Lefty, he can't sing the blues
All night long like he used to.
The dust that Pancho bit down south
Ended up in Lefty's mouth
The day they laid poor Pancho low,
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go,
There ain't nobody knows
The poets tell how Pancho fell,
And Lefty's living in cheap hotels
The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold,
And so the story ends we're told
Pancho needs your prayers it's true,
But save a few for Lefty too
He only did what he had to do,
And now he's growing old
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Ive neer heard this interpretation but it fits.
Artist: Townes Van Zandt
Song: Pancho And Lefty
Album: Legend Townes Van Zandt Sheet Music
Townes Van Zandt CDs
Send “Pancho And Lefty” Ringtone to Cell Phone
Living on the road my friend
Was gonna keep you free and clean
Now you wear your skin like iron
Your breath's as hard as kerosene
You weren't your mama's only boy
But her favorite one it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye
And sank into your dreams
Pancho was a bandit boys
His horse was fast as polished steel
Wore his gun outside his pants
For all the honest world to feel
Pancho met his match you know
On the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dying words
That's the way it goes
All the federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him hang around
Out of kindness I suppose
Lefty he can't sing the blues
All night long like he used to
The dust that Pancho bit down south
Ended up in Lefty's mouth
The day they laid poor Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go
There ain't nobody knows
All the federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him slip away
Out of kindness I suppose
The poets tell how Pancho fell
Lefty's livin' in a cheap hotel
The desert's quiet and Cleveland's cold
So the story ends we're told
Pancho needs your prayers it's true,
But save a few for Lefty too
He just did what he had to do
Now he's growing old
A few gray federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him go so wrong
Out of kindness I suppose
That said, I've always been intrigued by the first stanza. It seems unrelated to the "plot" that makes up the rest of the song, but somehow the song wouldn't be complete without it. Just on its own, it's an amazing piece of poetry. I like how it sends up all the myths about the freedom and virtue of "living on the road" that were so common in the 60s and 70s. He's talking to all the innocent romantics who went out to live that life, which was never more than a dream, who they could drop out of society and live "free and clean" on the road forever. In reality, all it did was turn them into cold, tough, hard men, and break their mothers' hearts.
Like I say, I love that first stanza, but I can't figure out how it relates to the rest of the song. Maybe Lefty started out as one like them, dreaming of a romantic bandit's life. Then, after circumstances got out of control and he betrayed Poncho, he lost his faith in himself and his own goodness, and now he looks in the mirror and sees himself as the "bad guy" with the skin like iron, breath like kerosene. So I guess the whole thing could be about good intentions gone wrong, the dangers of letting dreams and romance influence your decisions.
Pancho undoubtably is the main character. We get the most detail about him. He has "the shine". He's his moma's favorite boy. We all know the type, charming and able to get away with whatever he wants, Even the federales are apt to turn another eye. The prodigal son perhaps? if you want to mine christian themes.
Lefty isn't painted too clearly, but he obviously doesn't shine like Pancho. He's a sidekick type, a bit player. Probably he's never gotten away with a thing in his life. And yet, he's the one who laid Pancho low. And for what? to gain the charm and the shine? Nope. just to wind up in a cheap hotel in Cleveland, unable to sing the blues all night long.
We are asked to link these two actors, to pray for them equally. Pancho Villa?, the two sides of Townes VanSandt?, Cleveland the home of rock and roll hall of fame? Stars being laid low, low life types exploiting them, federales looking the other way ar various shenanigans, commentary on the music business? Its all of these things if its any of them.
Wrap in a haunting melody and you have what is undoubtably a great little song.
He wore his gun outside of his pants. He was not in hiding. No one had to sell him out. They could have gotten him at any time is true. He was protected very high up.
Lefty was an American mercenary. The question in the spirit of the song, which the author heard but admits, he did not understand completely at the time. The question is, if Poncho was using all of the money for the revolution, how was Lefty paid?
The song says something directly about the rewards of war. I don’t imagine it cost much to get from Mexico City, to Ohio for anyone on their way home then or even now.
I think you are right. It is autobiographical, and you noted a couple of significant points, one, that the first verse is the tipoff, and two, that "he is whole in the first verse but then splits into two distinct personalities" .
I always felt that he was talking about himself from the first time i heard the song, but later allowed myself to be misled by Townes own explanations. Only later did i realize that Townes would never explain his songs if you asked, they were written for himself and for anyone who could listen and understand.
Furhtermore, I propose that Townes (as he used to be) is Pancho, and Lefty is who he had to become (when you said goodbye and sank into your dreams).
I invision Townes in a "cheap hotel", sitting on the bed with his guitar, and he looks up at himself in the dresser mirror, and sings this song to himself.(Lefty, because the Townes in the mirror is playing left handed).
Pancho and Lefty is more about lamenting for a life surrendered than it is about any "split personality", though.
Living on the road my friend
Was gonna keep you free and clean
Now you wear your skin like iron
Your breath's as hard as kerosene
You weren't your mama's only boy
But her favorite one it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye
And sank into your dreams
Later he sings
Lefty he can't sing the blues
All night long like he used to
Which I'm pretty sure is self referential
And later still he sings
Lefty's livin' in a cheap hotel
Which is where he spent most of his time.
Who Pancho is I'm not 100% sure. Could be someone he was involved with professionally who screwed him over or it could be, as has been suggested by some, the other side of his manic depressive personality.
In this last case he is whole in the first verse but then splits into two distinct personalities (after being out on the road so long) for the rest of the song.
Perhaps he felt he'd sold himself out (of a better/easier life) by choosing the life of a wandering troubadour?